“The English Channel,” which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, takes place in 1593. “It was inspired by the sonnets,” said Brustein in a recent interview, “and by the famous triangle — the relationship between Shakespeare, his patron Southampton and Emilia Lanier, an Italian woman, a musician and probably ‘The Dark Lady of the Sonnets.’
“Christopher Marlowe is also in this play, which begins with Marlowe’s ghost coming on like the ghost in ‘Hamlet,’ then pulling out of character and saying, ‘You’ve heard those lines before and you’ll hear them a few times more because Shakespeare is very fond of stealing my work.'”
“Mortal Terror” is about the era in English history after Queen Elizabeth I died and King James, Shakespeare’s patron, was the British ruler.
“When King James was in power,” said Brustein, “he commissioned Shakespeare to write a play that would, among other things, guarantee his right to the throne. That play became ‘Macbeth.’ ” “Mortal Terror” touches on the Gunpowder Plot and involves a lively cast of characters — James, Queen Anne, John Marston and Ben Jonson.
Brustein will discuss “The Tainted Muse” Sept. 24.
“It’s about what I imagine to be the prejudices that Shakespeare shared with his times,” Brustein said. “The argument would be that we know what Shakespeare’s characters thought but not what Shakespeare thought. But I’m assuming that the sonnets are an expression of the subjective person and that they provide confirmation of Shakespeare’s prejudices.”
“The Tainted Muse” deals with Shakespeare’s misogyny, his “effemiphobia” (dislike of fops, “effeminate, flattering courtiers … using Latinate phrases”), his admiration for “plain-dealing … decent, honest men who tell the truth,” his attitude toward subjugated people, his political beliefs and religious views. “The Tainted Muse” examines Shakespeare’s contemporaries, too, Brustein explained, bringing in “people who confirm these opinions — Jonson, Marston, Middleton, Ford and a lot of poets and philosophers of the time.”
The readings will be held at 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in TheaterSpace. The discussion will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Research 1 Building, Room 163. Brustein’s visit is sponsored by Fall for the Book and the Theatre of the First Amendment at George Mason University. Visit gmu.edu/cfa/tfa for details.
